The Radical Takes a Vacation

Because it is August; and

Because school will start in a heartbeat in a half, and there is no point staying home and dreading the loss of my freedom for the 44th year in a row (with two years taken off in the middle to work for the advertising agency, when I had no vacation at all except what I could steal); and

Because no matter how much work we do in the summer it never feels like enough; and

Because there is nothing more beautiful than a lake in Northern Minnesota:

The Radical is off on vacation with her best pal, N. Early tomorrow morning we will be flying out of Regional Airport, and barring pilot sick-outs, the collapse of the air traffic comptrollers' computer or terrible weather, we will be landing in one of the historic seats of radicalism, Minneapolis, around noon, changing planes, and flying on to Duluth, where we will be picked up by N's sister and transported to the beautiful lake in the Boundary Waters Region (otherwise known as the Iron Range) where that side of the familly has had a vacation house for several decades.

So this blog is more or less on hiatus for the next ten days. But if you wonder what I am doing it will look pretty much like this:

Wake up.
Read.
Naked swim in lake.
Breakfast.
Read.
Lunch.
Read.
Covered swim in lake in deference to the many people who will be awake.
Nap.
Read.
Before dinner drinks.
Dinner.
Read.
Drift off to sleep while listening to loons.

This schedule is occasionally interrupted by important discusions that include, but are not limited to, the following topics:

Shall we go pick blueberries today?
Should we have our drinks here, or take them on the pontoon boat and go to another pretty lake and have them there?
Will there be northern lights?
Shall we pack a picnic lunch and take the pontoon boat to a lovely beach a few lakes away?
Should someone fire up the sauna?
Will we vote for Hillary?
What are you reading?
Should we go into town and get a blueberry milkshake?

The book list is on the left, folks. Wish us luck for event-free travel. Oh yes: and I have dowloaded onto my iPod all the episodes of Damages and Mad Men that I have not yet watched, in case you were concerned that I am becoming an egg head.